No previous top-tier U.S. soccer league survived into its 18th year. The most notable effort, the original North American Soccer League, withered and died following its 17th season in 1984. Only nine teams played that year, down from as many as 24 at the end of the 1970s.

MLS will kick off its groundbreaking 18th season on Saturday as 19 clubs begin their pursuit of a championship that has come to mean more with each passing year. History brings about a certain amount of gravitas. A sense of team identity helps as well.

The rate of evolution is different across the league, but by and large the days when clubs were interchangeable extensions of a single-entity company are gone. As stadiums have risen throughout the U.S. and Canada, names and colors have taken root while playing styles and traditions have become more identifiable. Charismatic coaches and iconic players past and present add texture and, like any league that’s been around a while, there are clubs with full trophy cases and rivals still yearning for success.

There are winners and losers, as well as varying levels of fan support and owner competence. Those elements can become as much a part of a team’s brand as the logo.

As Sporting News begins its preview of the 2013 season, we look at each club’s identity and how that image might persist or change as the campaign unfolds. Up first: the 10 teams in the Eastern Conference, ranked in order of projected regular season finish.

The favorites

HOUSTON DYNAMO

Last season: 14-9-11, fifth in East (ninth in MLS). Reached MLS Cup final.

Identity: It’s a players’ game, but the face of the Dynamo belongs to 45-year-old Dominic Kinnear, now entering his 10th season as a head coach. Kinnear’s knack for building teams with discipline, chemistry and an ability to rise to the occasion—the “Dynamo Way”—has resulted in two MLS Cup titles and Eastern Conference crowns in 2011 and 2012.

Outlook: The foundation is sturdy and the mission is clear: Return to the final and win. With a stocked roster and a genuine home-field advantage at BBVA Compass Stadium (13-0-6 last year, including playoffs), Houston will be formidable.

Will Bruin (16 MLS goals in 2012) has emerged as a top-tier striker and former Colorado Rapids star Omar Cummings has arrived to add a bit of speed up front. The midfield—featuring Brad Davis, Oscar Boniek Garcia, Adam Moffat and Ricardo Clark—may be the best in MLS and a defense anchored by goalkeeper Tally Hall ranked tied for fourth in the league last year.

Thanks to consistency and Kinnear, the Dynamo are favorites in 2013.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Last season: 18-7-9, first in East (second in MLS). Reached MLS Cup quarterfinals and won U.S. Open Cup.

Identity: Identity can be powerful but it isn’t permanent. In just two years, Sporting transformed itself from an MLS afterthought into a model organization thanks to an ambitious local ownership group that built a new stadium, brand and club culture. With that renewed sense of pride and purpose has come a team, led by coach Peter Vermes, that plays with immense dedication and diligence.

SKC’s 2012 defense ranked third in league history and the club won its first trophy in eight years when it claimed the U.S. Open Cup. A winning tradition was reborn.

Outlook: Kansas City has significant momentum heading into 2013, but its inability to solve Houston in the postseason and the departure of a couple of key players leave unanswered questions.

Workhorse midfielder Roger Espinoza (left as a free agent for Wigan Athletic) and forward Kei Kamara (on loan to Norwich City) were critical components of Vermes’ team and played key roles in shaping its style and chemistry.

If U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber, who stumbled with the New England Revolution, reaches his potential and Argentine forward Claudio Bieler can provide the consistent finishing SKC lacked last year, the club’s upward trajectory should continue in 2013. But it may take some time to jell.

The contenders

CHICAGO FIRE

Identity: A champion in its first year of existence (1998), the tradition-rich Fire have been a sleeping giant that appear to be on their way back under coach Frank Klopas. Last year’s playoff berth was Chicago’s first since 2009.

Outlook: Klopas, a former Fire player, is committed to returning Chicago to former glory and has been quick to tinker with the roster in order to get there. The winter addition of veterans Jeff Larentowicz and Joel Lindpere will change the midfield’s complexion profoundly. If they mesh, and if DP striker Sherjill MacDonald produces (four goals and four assists in 14 games last year), Klopas may well be on his way. A defense led by German veteran Arne Friedrich, 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year Austin Berry and U.S. national team goalkeeper Sean Johnson will keep Chicago in games.

NEW YORK RED BULLS

Last season: 16-9-9, third in East (fourth in MLS). Reached MLS Cup quarterfinals.

Identity: The only remaining MLS original without a major trophy to its credit, the club has been an underperforming, dysfunctional mess since Red Bull took over in 2006. A lack of locker room chemistry and market resonance routinely undermines the roster’s star caliber.

Outlook: At least Red Bull recognizes the problem. The club’s surprise appointment of long-time New York defender Mike Petke as head coach addresses the club's lack of commitment, passion and MLS acumen in recent years. Petke’s readiness to lead (and the response from Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill and newly arrived Juninho Pernambucano) will dictate whether it’s more of the same or a new era at Red Bull Arena.

COLUMBUS CREW

Last season: 15-12-7, sixth in East (10th in MLS). Missed playoffs.

Identity: A small-market team with complicated branding issues (the all-yellow uniforms are iconic; the construction worker logo, not so much), the Crew failed to capitalize on their 2008 MLS Cup title. They play a permanent and distant second fiddle to the Buckeyes and remain in limbo on the field and off.

Outlook: Columbus always may be a college sports town, but the Crew may be worth watching this year thanks to another dynamic Argentine attacker.

The legendary Guillermo Barros Schelotto engineered the run to the 2008 MLS Cup/Supporters' Shield double; now, Federico Higuain is poised to lead Columbus back into contention. He had five goals and seven assists in 13 games toward the end of last season (during which the Crew went 7-4-2) while Costa Rican striker Jairo Arrieta (nine goals in 18 games) now has a year of MLS experience. If several new signings pan out, Columbus could challenge for third place.

D.C. UNITED

Last season: 17-10-7, second in East (third in MLS). Reached MLS Cup semifinals.

Identity: A decayed dynasty in a decayed stadium, United won three MLS championships in the league’s first four years, along with several other major trophies, but has been chasing those ghosts since. Last season’s run to the MLS Cup semis, in D.C.’s first playoff appearance in five years, has rekindled some hope in the capital.

Outlook: United isn’t living in the past anymore. The departure of long-time president and CEO Kevin Payne and several other original staffers, along with the arrival of new owners Erick Thohir and Jason Levien and a renewed push for a stadium, have put the club on a new course. Coach Ben Olsen, now entering his third full season, has grown into his job as well.

But 2011 MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario is almost 35 and coming off a knee injury. Andy Najar, the dynamic young winger, has moved on to Belgium’s Anderlecht. Meanwhile, the club’s only major offseason acquisition is an unproven 20-year-old Brazilian forward, Rafael Teixeira de Souza. The squad has depth but may lack the game-breaking talent needed to hold off several improved rivals.

The stragglers

PHILADELPHIA UNION

Last season: 10-18-6, eighth in East (15th in MLS). Missed playoffs.

Identity: Everything changed following last year’s nasty divorce between the Union and former coach Peter Nowak. His successor, John Hackworth, has added a few veteran pieces to a youthful roster—perhaps a recognition that Philadelphia’s devoted yet unrewarded fans won’t happily accept a second straight losing season.

Outlook: As long as the Union are burdened by Freddy Adu’s significant salary—the club is desperately trying to move the out-of-favor attacker—Hackworth won’t be able to sign the reinforcements he needs. Defender Jeff Parke is a good addition and returning forward Sebastien Le Toux might be a fan favorite, but the Union’s fate will continue to be tied to the development of playmaker Michael Farfan, defender/midfielder Amobi Okugo, forward Jack McInerny and other young players. Once the Adu issue is resolved, Hackworth will have a bit more wiggle room.

MONTREAL IMPACT

Last season: 12-16-6, seventh in East (12th in MLS). Missed playoffs.

Identity: A unique North American city, Francophone Montreal now has an MLS team with a unique, Eurocentric approach. That was cemented with the dismissal of American coach Jesse Marsch, who made the expansion Impact competitive in 2012 but then apparently lost a power struggle with big-name European players who had the support of owner Joey Saputo.

Outlook: Marsch’s replacement, Marco Schallibaum, spent his entire playing and coaching career in his native Switzerland before coming to Montreal. That won’t change the view that the Impact aren’t yet MLS savvy. There is some talent in Montreal’s midfield, notably Patrice Bernier and Felipe, but not much to suggest the club currently has what it takes to contend over a nine-month season.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Last season: 9-17-8, ninth in East (16th in MLS). Missed playoffs.

Identity: The perpetual bridesmaid—losers of four MLS Cup finals and, in the eyes of many fans, an afterthought in the Kraft empire that revolves around the New England Patriots. The Revs supposedly lack the ambition to compete at the highest level.

Outlook: The hiring of coach Jay Heaps last year was criticized, but the former New England defender did OK in his first season. His team wasn’t often out of its depth, and it has enough to hold its own in 2013. But beyond forwards Jerry Bengtson and Saer Sene (coming off last summer’s ACL tear), Heaps doesn’t have the sort of players who might challenge for starting roles on the conference’s top teams. A fourth straight season out of the playoffs is likely, leaving Revs fans longing for the frustration of MLS Cup final defeats gone by.

TORONTO FC

Last season: 5-21-8, 10th in East (19th in MLS). Missed playoffs and won Canadian Championship.

Identity: TFC is a disaster, likely the victim of the same bureaucratic incompetence at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment that has led to losing seasons for the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors. It has money, passionate fans and a downtown stadium, but through seven coaches and six seasons without a playoff berth, TFC represents only wasted capital and potential.

Outlook: Instead of blaming MLSE, frustrated fans now can point their fingers at former D.C. executive Kevin Payne, who’s been handed the reins to the league’s most disappointing club.

By giving former United defender Ryan Nelsen his first head coaching job, Payne sent a signal that he’s going to be involved in all aspects of the organization. Once again, front office dynamics will dictate the course of TFC’s season. There’s an enormous amount of work to do. There will be money to spend, especially if DP Torsten Frings leaves the club. But there’s also an enormous amount of work to do.